Customs seize 38,700 litres of petrol for Adamawa border crackdown
- Customs Operation Whirlwind seize 1,548 jerrycans of petrol, 38,700 litres in all, in six-week Adamawa crackdown.
- The service put the combined duty-paid value of the fuel and a seized vehicle at ₦63.115 million.
- Officials blame the gap between Nigerian and Cameroonian pump prices for driving the smuggling.
The Nigeria Customs Service say dem don seize 38,700 litres of petrol for border communities across Adamawa State, ending a six-week crackdown on suspected fuel smuggling.
Dem pack the fuel inside 1,548 jerrycans of 25 litres each, according to the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller-General Abubakar Lucky Aliyu. He announce the seizures for press briefing inside Yola on Wednesday.
Customs put the combined duty-paid value of the petrol and one vehicle wey dem allege say dem use move am at ₦63.115 million.
Dem make the seizures for Malabu-Belel, Girei-Wuro Bokki, Gurin-Fufore, Wuro Alhaji-Maiha and Mubi-Sahuda. Aliyu talk say the operations follow intelligence on routes wey dem dey use move petroleum products across Nigeria borders.
Why the price gap matter
Officials point to the difference between fuel prices for Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon as the pull behind the trade. The Adamawa coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Dr Bashir Sirajo, talk for message to the briefing say this gap dey create strong incentive to smuggle.
"Unscrupulous individuals divert petroleum products meant for Nigerians across the borders, distorting the domestic supply chain and creating artificial scarcity in border communities," Sirajo talk.
Sahara Reporters, citing im own checks, put petrol at 840 CFA francs a litre for Cameroon as of 19 October, wey e convert to about ₦1,918. That one well pass wetin one litre cost for Nigerian pumps, though the sources no give current Nigerian average.
For Nigerians, the concern na supply. Fuel wey dem divert across border fit tighten stock for border towns and push up transport and food costs for communities wey already dey feel the squeeze of higher pump prices since dem remove subsidy in 2023.
Aliyu warn say smuggling and diversion fit undermine efforts to keep domestic supplies steady, especially when distribution dey stretched. He talk say products meant for the Nigerian market no suppose dey moved out illegally.
"We will continue to pursue suspected smugglers in accordance with the law, with the aim of dismantling their networks and protecting Nigeria's economic interests," he talk.
Operation Whirlwind na Customs' dedicated anti-smuggling programme for petroleum products. Im mandate na to stop illegal movement and diversion of fuel and protect national energy security.
Wetin go happen next
Customs talk say the crackdown go continue along the Adamawa corridors, wey e describe as major entry and exit routes wey link Nigeria to Cameroon. The sources no talk whether dem arrest or charge anybody over the seizures.
